Can Charlie Crist beat Rick Scott?

As expected, Charlie Crist is running for governor in Florida – this time as a Democrat.

Charlie Crist announces his candidacy for governor during a rally St. Petersburg on Nov. 4, 2013. (Reuters photo)

He will be trying to unseat Republican Rick Scott, who in all probability would not be governor now if Mr. Crist had not left the office in 2010 after a single term so that he could run for the U.S. Senate.

That did not work out so well for Mr. Crist, who lost twice to Marco Rubio – once in the Republican primary and then again after Mr. Crist ran in the general election as an independent.

Marco Rubio has been a tea party favorite, even if his support for immigration reform has dulled his tea party shine. If Mr. Crist had no luck painting Mr. Rubio as too far to the right, can he have any better luck taking the same tack against Mr. Scott?

The incumbent governor might not have the instant likability of either Sen. Rubio or Mr. Crist, but he has a ton of money to spend. And it was a hefty campaign chest – plus a tough line on immigration – that led to his surprise victory in 2010.

Gov. Scott since has been relatively quiet on immigration. And he has reached out to former adversaries, notably the state’s teachers, in an attempt to broaden his base.

Mr. Crist is not guaranteed the Democratic nomination, which also is being sought by Nan Rich, who was a state Senate minority leader and has a long pedigree in the Democratic Party, unlike Mr. Crist.

Still, until it all fell apart in the 2010 Senate race, Mr. Crist had been an effective statewide candidate, winning not just the gubernatorial race but previous races for attorney general and education commissioner.

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